Gandhiji
often used to plan a march during his Satyagraha movement. He had arranged one
such movement in South Africa and another one in India, which is known as Dandi
March.
When the
South African government imposed several taxes on the public, Gandhiji asked the
thousands of labourers to take part in his movement. The labourers answered his
call and leaving the factories and fields, took part in his movement.
Gandhiji
started thinking about doing something, which would make the government arrest
all of them.
An idea
came to his mind. He thought that he would arrange a long march with those
thousands of labourers to the Transwall and break the rules for the permission
to stay there.
He asked
them to march with him. He had 2211 people with him along with 127 women. The
labourers had brought their children and belongings with them.
They
crossed the boundary to disobey the law. No one arrested them. They spent the
night there. The police arrested Gandhiji alone while all of them were sleeping.
The crowd
came to know about this in the morning. Now they got deeply involved in the
march. The next day Gandhiji was released on bail. His return spread a wave of
enthusiasm among them.
Gandhiji
was arrested again the next day and then released on bail. He returned to his
followers. All of them were happy to have him back.
The crowd
kept marching ahead. Someone's child died of illness but the march went on.
The march
used to halt at some place. Then there would be hustle and bustle for erecting
the tents, making meals and then cleaning everything.
The
businessmen from those places would lovingly offer them food.
At last
Gandhiji was arrested for the third time. He was sentenced and then sent to
jail.
At the
next stop the crowd was detained and then sent back in two special trains.
Who
doesn't know the story of Dandi March?
Gandhiji
decided that he would struggle for total independence.
He then
tried to find out a way to disobey the law, which would send him to jail.
Finally he decided on disobeying the law of salt!
He then
arranged Dandi March for this purpose. He vowed, "I would cross the desert, I
would die of a dog's death but I would not return to the Ashram until I get
Independence for my country!" He took the oath and set out.
He
decided that he would start his march from Sabarmati Ashram. Then he would walk
through Gujarat state to reach Dandi, at the far end of it and then disobey the
law of salt by preparing the salt himself.
He set
out for the march with eighty Ashram inmates. They would halt in some village or
town in the noon and in the night at some other place on the way. There they
would have their meals, spin yarn and then Gandhiji would address the people to
spread his message about the movement. Thousands of people would come to see the
march.
Every
day, the people would expect to be arrested, but the government let the march
reach its destination. At the end of the march Gandhiji took bath on the
beautiful seashore and then prepared salt from the seawater.
After
this incident, people started looting salt everywhere in the country.
The
government had planned not to arrest Gandhiji and to carry out atrocities on the
people everywhere in the country. The stories of their tyranny consisted of
beating the women with sticks. The news used to disturb Gandhiji. He would say,
"They should strike my head with a stick. What should I do so that they would do
it?"
At last
he decided to rob the salt-pits of Dharasana but he was arrested on the night
prior to the march ahead while all others were asleep.